The Knowledge CREATiNg A ROOM OuTDOORS
tom and Susan were closely involved in the design of the open plan kitchen/dining/living area and influenced the idea to integrate the garden into the main living space.
To begin, kicking up the ceiling line of the living room created up to 3.5m in height, significantly changing the way the space feels, and the high-level windows on the south side of this part of the home retains privacy from the street but allows light to flood into the living spaces. This 3.5m sloping ceiling also helps direct the eye to the walled garden beyond through the large sliding doors (above).
The couple see the garden as an extension of the living area and landscaping became a major priority when they moved in. “We were very hands-on in terms of the main design concept [of the garden] to bring the outside space in; all materials and planting was collaboratively developed with garden designer, Tracy McQue. We were keen to see the garden as an extension of the living area, in terms of colour, look and feel — quite rustic, and not too formal.”
The walled garden is wide but not very deep so the design addresses this with ‘layering’. A casual atmosphere is brought to the forefront with berries and vegetables mixed among the plants along the wall. Hardscaping also creates a dining room outdoors. “We designed the concrete table and it was Tom’s idea to install a firepit, which is great.
We’ve had quite a few barbecues here, and it’s a good social space,” Susan says.
When Walter and Pamela Anderson were looking to move from their previous property, at the top of their wishlist was finding a house across one level that could accommodate their daughter Eilidh, who has a rare condition that limits her mobility. “Our remit was to find somewhere flat to be able to move Eilidh without any difficulty,” explains Walter. “We had been living in a top floor flat without any parking facilities and lots of stairs to negotiate.”
The couple’s house hunting didn’t get off to the best of starts. They were unsuccessful with five properties they looked at, until eventually they spotted a bungalow in very poor condition. “This house came up and although it was derelict, with a horrendous damp report, it ticked all our boxes. A lot of the places we looked at would have had to be excavated to make them flat, but with this house we wouldn’t have to do any landscaping,” says Walter.
At the point of buying the property the couple sought advice from local architects Chambers McMillan, who are specialists in designing accessible homes, including their own home Ramp House in Edinburgh, which has become something of an adapted house exemplar. The Andersons were looking not only at fixing the existing damp problems but they also envisaged creating a fully accessible inclusive home that would work for the whole family.
Designing an accessible Home
Following a period of discussion, a design finally emerged that would transform the small, dark and tightly compartmentalised bungalow into an open, flowing and lightfilled family home with a new connection to the garden.
“In terms of the design, we changed the entrance sequence of the house, moving the front door to bypass the bedrooms that we relocated to the front of the home,” explains project architect Ian McMillan.
The long back garden allowed space to extend, and subsequently a new extension has been wrapped around the original L-shaped house. The whole of the rear façade was removed (with the exception of the boundary wall) to allow space for the new addition. The scorched larch-clad and extensively glazed extension replaces an old rotting 1970s structure, and benefits from south-facing light and garden views, with new rooflights allowing natural light into the centre of the home. An additional bedroom has been created in the new section of the home, in addition to the open plan living kitchen and dining area.
“Entering through the new extension makes it feel like you’re going into a new house,” explains architect Ian. “The fullwidth glass and the raised roof to the back of the house pulls in so much more light, and, combined with the open plan living spaces, creates the feeling that the house is a lot bigger than it really is.”
This effect has been further enhanced internally, as most of the walls were removed or relocated to make the plan work. “Internally we designed good visual connections between many of the spaces, which is very important for a child with mobility support needs. Not having too many doors makes it as barrier-free as possible for Eilidh, and all the external doors are flush out onto the deck, with a ramp around the house,” adds Ian. “We used a steel frame to minimise structural elements and keep the space as open as possible.”
Fabric upgrades were also carried out on the existing house, with all the existing external walls insulated with 100mm rigid insulation on the inner face then lined with plasterboard. The existing floor was also insulated between the joists (200mm thick), and 300mm of insulation was added in the loft. The existing windows were upgraded to triple-glazed units, and the internal walls were acoustically upgraded using Gyproc SoundBloc (a
plasterboard with a high density core) from British Gypsum.
Planners were entirely on board with the proposals and the 16-week construction went relatively smoothly. Luckily, the damp problem was identified at the outset. “We were really fortunate with the architects and the builders Orocco, as they identified the source of the damp really quickly. It was like a swimming pool under the house! So the first thing they did was excavate, taking about a foot from the foundation soil away, then pumping in around 34 tonnes of concrete — adding to the overall cost, as well as a few days onto the build time,” says Walter.
The couple and their two children, Archie and Eilidh, moved out of the house while construction took place and rented nearby. Meanwhile, Walter and Pamela were busy speccing and sourcing many of the interior finishes, including the overall colour scheme and features, such as the engineered oak flooring and the kitchen.
“Between the architects and main contractor, there was a solution to everything,” says Walter. “Orocco have some fantastic bespoke joiners working for them, and the attention to detail and finishes throughout are really good.”
Now that the family has moved in, the contrast to their previous living experience in an inaccessible top floor flat couldn’t be more dramatic. “This house is so easy to live in, and for Eilidh, getting from A to B is so much easier,” explains Walter.
“We like the fact that the house doesn’t look hugely different from the front but it is very striking from the back. I’ve always been a big fan of Scandinavian design, and following this tradition the light and open feel between the living room and the garden really comes across. Sitting, having your breakfast in the morning watching the wildlife, and looking over to views of Arthur’s Seat… it’s ideal.
“We’ve had a lot of people visit, from physiotherapists to building control, and the general consensus is that they’ve never seen an adapted house as well done as this one,” concludes Walter. “The reason it works so well is that it doesn’t strike you as an accessible house, it’s just a house that’s beautifully designed. That’s the magic of the architects.”